Middle East Issues

Obama Makes Strong Push for Two State Solution in Middle East
President Obama asked Israel, Palestine, and the rest of the world to push harder than ever for a two-state solution that could bring stability to the Middle East.

Obama to Arabic Network: U.S. is Not Your Enemy
In a seemingly unusual move, but one that was certainly planned as a powerful gesture, President Barack Obama gave his first formal television interview as U.S. president with an Arabic satellite TV network.

Top Us Officials Dispatched to Syria As Clinton Pursues Middle East Peace on 'many Fronts'
Independent Palestinian state 'inescapable' and two-state deal in Israel's best interests, US secretary of state says

We Will Pursue Middle East Peace on Many Fronts, Says Hillary Clinton
US secretary of state condemns 'violence and false choices' of extremists

North Iraqi Pseudo-Kurdish Tyranny: Epicenter of Middle East’s Worst Chaos
Northern Iraq does not belong to any ‘Kurds’ because simply ‘Kurds’ do not exist.

Cost of War in Afghanistan Soars to £2.5bn
Bill for Britain's Middle East military operations has increased by more than 50% year on year

Ripe for Revolution
Soumaya Ghannoushi: A blinkered west has created conditions in the Middle East that mirror those of late 1970s Iran

Region in Stasis As Israel Puts Its House in Order
Gaza, the West Bank and Middle East stability take a back seat as parties fight for control of the Knesset

Abolish the Pseudo-Kurdish Tyranny of Mosul in Northern Mesopotamia
Waiting for the next genocide in the Middle East: the eradication of the Yazidis and the Arameans, the Shabbak and the Turkmen, planned by the Anglo-French Freemasonic Lodge and executed by the pseudo-Kurdish elites of Barzani and Talabani.

Minister for Terror: Gaza Will Fuel Uk Extremism
Government efforts to prevent radicalization of British Muslims set back by Middle East conflict

The Real Secret of the Middle East Conflict
Arab democracy is the key to resolving the Middle East conflict

"Oil for Soil" in Iraq and "Peace for Land" in Palestine: More Bloodshed, Tyranny, and Chaos
The ICG Report diffuses ideas and suggestions that risk spreading chaos and discord, bloodshed and in the wider Middle Eastern region, by facilitating the procedures of the formation of a fake state ‘Kurdistan’.

ICG Report and the Re-Mapping of the Middle East
Iraq 2008 - a late reflection of the notorious colonial Sykes - Picot Agreement (1916)

Keeping the Process Alive
Simon Tisdall: Change in America is chance to build on momentum for Middle East peace

Time to Resurrect the Arab Peace Plan
If moribund Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are to be kept alive for the next US president, promoting a neglected Arab peace initiative could help

US Arms Sales Ban for Eritrea: Disastrous for the US, Uplifting for China, Russia
Islamic terrorism in Africa and various parts of the Middle East is expanding because of the abnormal and calamitous preservation of the totalitarian state of Abyssinia whereby the Muslim majority 52% has long been oppressed, offended and terrorized.

Bahrain Calls for Middle East Bloc to Bring Together Iran and Israel
Foreign minister says a regional organization including all Arab states is 'only way to solve problems'

Middle East: Bahrain Calls for New Regional Organisation With Israel
Middle Eastern countries should set up a new regional organization that includes all Arab states as well as Israel, Iran, and Turkey, the pro-western Gulf state of Bahrain has urged

Middle East: 'almost Every Prisoner is Told to Get Money or Weapons'
Alleged abuse aimed at convincing western donor governments that authority is 'clamping down on terror'

Middle East: Palestinians 'routinely Torture' Rival Detainees
Human rights reports accuse Fatah and Hamas of violations that have led to three recorded deaths

Europe's Obama Cheers Ring Hollow in the Middle East
Jonathan Steele: Here the US leader has much less power. Israel calls the shots, and the reality on the ground is gloomy and anti-peace

Lebanese Killer Released As Part of Israeli Soldier Swap
A Notorious Lebanese killer has been released by Israel after Hizbullah handed over the bodies of two Israeli soldiers

Middle East: Israel Swaps Prisoners for Soldiers' Remains
Murderer among inmates returned to Lebanon in exchange for caskets containing servicemen

Triumph and Tragedy in the Middle East
Jonathan Steele: There was mourning in Israel and Lebanon today but most pundits see the exchange of prisoners and bodies as a victory for Hizbullah

A Coup for Hizbullah
Today's prisoner swap is an unqualified victory for the Lebanese militia, writes Ian Black

Middle East: Grave Mistake to Attack Iran, Warns Syria
Bashar al-Assad offers to mediate escalating crisis and attacks 'warmonger's logic of US

Arabs Fear Fallout of Nuclear Conflict
Nervous Arab states fear a war in the Gulf but a nuclear-armed Iran is an even greater concern, writes Ian Black.

Middle East: Britain Bans Military Wing of Hizbullah
Revised ban identifies Lebanese organization's role in aiding 'militants' fighting in Iraq

The West Has to Tackle Tehran - Before Israel Sends in the Bombers
Jonathan Freedland: It will take fresh pressure and incentives to douse fears of a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities that would inflame the region

Dividends of Truce
Ian Black: Only a foolhardy observer would predict peace is about to break out in the Middle East

Middle of Where?
Brian Whitaker: The Middle East may be a crucially important region politically and economically, but try getting your hands on a decent definition of it

Middle East in Nuclear Race to Match Iran
Almost every country in region has announced nuclear energy plans in response to Iran's progress

Fast Forward to the Past
Leader:George Bush tours the Middle East for his last time as president, treading around the minefield of his past policy disasters

A Strangled People
Sami Abdel-Shafi: The bold claims about Middle East peace from London ring hollow in the empty streets of Gaza

The Role of the Media in Dialogue between the Arabs and the West
Step one. In the midst of the war in Iraq, the battle against ‘Al-Qaeda’ and the on-going Israeli-Palestinian crisis, the Al-Babtain Foundation for Dialogue...

Making Contact With Middle East Reality
Simon Tisdall: Israel's foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, often tipped as a future prime minister, was aiming higher than a mere courtesy call in his visit to Qatar

West's Policies 'hurting Middle East Christians'
Christians in the Middle East are suffering from being associated with British and US foreign policy, says Dr Rowan Williams

Middle East Peace Talks Stalled, Say Negotiators
Think tank warns efforts to isolate Hamas have backfired as Palestinians see no hope of change

Gaza's Falling Wall Changes Middle East Map for Ever
The tide of humans pouring over the frontier from Gaza into Egypt for days has now become a vast convoy of carts, cars and lorries. Peter Beaumont joined the jubilant throng who watched as the borders of a conflict that has lasted for generations were crossed

Why Russia always failed in the Middle East
For too long, Russians projected in the Middle East concepts elaborated for the vast Russian / Soviet territory; this cannot work further, as it only damages Russian interests from Mauritania to Oman, and from Syria to Somalia.

Bush Plans Return Visit to Middle East
George Bush today said he planned to return to the Middle East in May to press for a peace deal as he left Israel for the next stage of his trip to the region

Bush Seeks Saudi Support for Fragile Middle East Peace Talks
Meeting with king also urges action against Iran · Hopes low as Palestinians and Israel argue key issues

Blair 'optimistic' on Middle East Peace Deal
Tony Blair 'cautiously optimistic' that peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians will be struck by end of the year

Blair 'owes It to the Middle East'
Tony Blair is determined to dedicate 10 days a month to his unpaid role as Middle East envoy because of the strong sense of obligation he feels following the Iraq war, it emerged today.

Tensions Remain High As Bush Arrives in Middle East
As President Bush arrives in Israel for a landmark Middle East visit, the situation on the ground remains far from hopeful

Bush Plans New Year Visit to Middle East
The US president is to embark on a week-long tour of the Middle East from January 8 to nudge Israelis and Palestinians towards an end to their decades-long conflict and to bolster an Arab coalition against Iran.

Is Charity Peace Oil Really the Best Way to Help the Middle East?
Aida Edemariam: Peace Oil, is an initiative of the Charities Advisory Trust, which claims to get Jews, Arabs, Druze and Bedouin working together in harmony

Bush to Visit Middle East in Push for Peace
Visit to troubled region will be first as president· Trip signals increased commitment to talks

Bush Takes Middle East Peace Bid to White House
George Bush formally relaunched Israeli-Palestinian negotiations today, inviting Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas to meet again at the White House the morning after the Annapolis summit showcased US determination to bring peace to the Middle East, despite near-universal skepticism about the prospects

A Small, Slender Chance for Peace in the Middle East
Jonathan Freedland: There may have been no shortage of arguments for pessimism, but there are a few strong reasons not to give up just yet

Bush Presides Over Relaunch of Middle East Peace Talks
US president invites Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas to White House to begin first negotiations in seven years

Propescts Doubtful As Middle East Peace Talks Resume
George Bush to preside over formal relaunch of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

Rhetoric and Reality: Bush's Battle for the Future of the Middle East
Israel-Palestine talks start again after seven years · US intervention key to success, say analysts

Bush 'optimistic' About Middle East Conference
George Bush today expressed optimism about peace in the Middle East as he sought to persuade Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas to agree a joint statement of principles before the Annapolis conference

Frantic Bid to Bridge Middle East Divide
The United States was making frantic efforts to close gaps between Israelis and Palestinians last night on the eve of an ambitious and high-risk gamble to "relaunch" final peace negotiations after seven years of bloodshed and stalemate

Archbishop Thrown Into Row Over Us Middle East Policy
· Muslim magazine hardens thrust of wide interview · Conservative Christians hit back at Williams

Boost for Middle East Summit As Syria Joins in
· Annapolis summit hopes to kickstart negotiations · Broad Arab support, but expectations are low

Deja Vu, Again
Leader: Will any of the noble declarations that we will get at next week's Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland mean anything?

Middle East Diplomats Rack Up Air Miles Ahead of Annapolis Summit
Arab leaders will hold a mini-summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik tomorrow, ahead of next week's high-stakes Middle East peace conference in the US.

The Middle East Has Had a Secretive Nuclear Power in Its Midst for Years
George Monbiot: When will the US and the UK tell the truth about Israeli weapons? Iran isn't starting an atomic arms race, it's joining one

Blair Unveils Huge Jobs Plan to Bolster Middle East Peace Talks
Tony Blair will announce an array of new economic projects today aimed at generating jobs for tens of thousands of Palestinians, revitalizing the occupied territories and creating momentum for the peace talks due to start next Monday

Saudis Signal Doubts Over Middle East Peace Talks Called By Us
Saudi Arabia has signaled that it will not attend the Middle East peace conference scheduled by the US for this month unless there is significant agreement in advance on the core issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians.

At Last, Consensus in the Middle East: All Agree These Talks Are Bound to Fail
Jonathan Freedland: Pessimism on Annapolis is everywhere. The only hope is that the ailing players' desperation drives them to conjure up something.

UN Envoy Attacks Middle East Quartet 'failures'
The UN human rights envoy, John Dugard, has called on the UN to withdraw from the quartet of Middle East mediators unless the group addresses Palestinian human rights.

Fresh Violence Casts Shadow Over Middle East Peace Talks
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, will meet today to map out their vision for a Middle East peace deal.

Rice Defends Middle East Arms Sales Plan
US secretary of state says proposal to sell billions of dollars of weapons would shore up friendly regimes against al-Qaida and Iran.

Blair Sees Hope After First Talks With Middle East Leaders
Tony Blair said he saw a 'moment of opportunity' in the Middle East as he met Israeli and Palestinian leaders yesterday.

Blair Lands in Middle East
Former British PM begins work as special envoy with meetings in Jordan and Israel.

Middle East or Iraq or Africa Explode- Not a Potter Trailer
Gads what is all the huff about? People fretting over the message of Harry Potter and creating Harry Potter rumors. Get over it! What I wonder about though is why not stand in line for things that are more important as well? Stand in line for human rights when there is news that the Middle East or Iraq or Africa explode.

Mixed Reaction in Middle East As Blair Makes Debut As Envoy
Quartet says there will be no dealings with Hamas - Arab critics attack former PM as 'disastrous choice'

Bush Middle East Plan Starts to Unravel
George Bush yesterday encountered the weakest of welcomes for his call for an international peace conference on the Middle East.

Turkey and Israel to pacify the Middle East
With America having tragically failed, only Turkey and Israel have the political and military know how to effectively eliminate tyrants and terrorists.

Do not Call the Illustrious Nation of Aramaeans by the Misnomer ‘Assyrians’!
Continuing our interview with Mr. Gabriel Sengo, Chairman of the Aram Nahrin Organization, we focus on the pernicious and criminal role played by Western Christian missionaries and diplomats in the Middle East, and more particularly among the Aramaeans.

Gabriel Sengo opens the Gates of Aramaean Thought, Culture and Wisdom
At the same time, Mr. G. Sengo castigates the unacceptable current situation of oppression and confusion, and the persecution of the Aramaic Language and the Aramaean Culture in numerous countries of the Middle East where the Aramaeans are not even recognized as an ethnic – linguistic group.

Blair Accepts Role of Middle East Envoy
Tony Blair accepts job as a Middle East envoy as Israeli forces kill at least 12 Palestinians.

Aram Nahrin: the Aramaeans, the Bible, Christianity, and the West
To illuminate the extraordinary contribution of the Aramean Nation to the formation and development of Christianity, Islam and other religious systems, and to underscore the terrible plight that afflicted the religiously and politically multi-divided nation, we decided to have an interview with an outstanding Armaean thinker and activist, Mr. Gabriel Sengo, Chairman of the Aram Nahrin Organization.

From No 10 to the Middle East: Blair Gets a New Job
Support from Bush leads to role as international envoy helping Palestinians.

Mixed Reaction for Plan to Make Blair Middle East Envoy
Backing from US, Israel and Fatah leadership - Moscow unlikely to want retiring PM as spokesman

For Brown, Money is Key to the Middle East
The next PM sees the world's most intractable conflict as an opportunity for economic development, but misses some of the wider political issues, says Ian Black.

UN Was Pummelled Into Submission, Says Outgoing Middle East Special Envoy
Negotiators 'lost impartiality' says report - Palestinians also criticized over violence

Secret Un Report Condemns Us for Middle East Failures
Envoy's damning verdict revealed as violence takes Gaza closer to civil war.

Middle East: Life Inside the Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon
The standoff between the Lebanese army and Islamic militants has focused attention on the 400,000 Palestinian refuges in the country. Clancy Chassay and Duncan Campbell report.

Better a Greater Middle East than the Colonial Hell of France
An introduction to the historical and the political reasons bringing the Middle Eastern peoples closer to American President’s plans of development than to the Colonial Underdevelopment France and England imposed in the area for 200 years.

Pelosi Plays Peace Broker in Middle East
Israel is ready to hold peace talks with Syria, the speaker of the US House of Representatives said today after meeting the Syrian president, Bashar Assad, in Damascus.

Olmert Suggests Pan-middle East Peace Summit
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has proposed a regional conference to discuss the major land-for-peace initiative drawn up by Arab leaders at a summit last week.

Saudi Arabia's Revived Plan For Middle East Peace
Hopes that Saudi Arabia holds the key to quickly unlocking the door to Middle East peace look over-optimistic, writes Ian Black in Riyadh.

Will The Cure Be Worse Than The Disease?
In a recently conducted CNN poll, nearly 60% of US citizens wanted to see American troops leave Iraq either immediately or within a year. Their reasoning and angst is understandable. What the Americans do not seem to be able to grasp is what an incalculable victory a military pull out would hand on a platter to the bad guys.

America's most Vicious Enemy in the Middle East: a figure of Anti-Christ?
Behind the scenes, Dick Cheney, Ehud Olmert and Ossama Bin Laden collaborate to the prejudice of America and to benefit of murderous Sunni thugs in Iraq, Palestine, Jordan and S.Arabia; all is done to service their master who waits in the wings to appear a saviour, Mahdi and Messiah: an ominous bogus-King whose anti-Western hatred is matched only by his Satanic Mendacity.

'Oprah of the Middle East' Flees Over Tv Row
Controversial Egyptian presenter holes up in London amid a row over allegations that actresses were paid to pretend they were prostitutes on her television show.

Blair Optimistic Over Fresh Middle East Peace Talks
Britain sees hopes for renewing stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians if 'sensible' members of a Hamas-led national unity government can be persuaded to meet international conditions, Tony Blair said yesterday.

Rice Fails to Make Breakthrough in Middle East Peace Talks
Two hours of talks between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders and the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, yesterday failed to advance peace negotiations and produced only a vague promise of future meetings.

Rice Calls Meeting of Quartet in New Push for Middle East Peace
Secretary of state briefs Blair on negotiations - Israel sidesteps Hamas and pays $100m to Abbas.

Carter Faces Revolt Over Book on Middle East
Walkout by 14 members of ex-president's rights group - Criticism of Israel seen as 'malicious advocacy'

Blair Makes One Last Push in Middle East With Palestinian Funding Plan
PM proposes bypassing Hamas with aid to Abbas - MP warns against funding sides in coming civil war

Middle East Questions Stump Democrats' Intelligence Overseer
Of all the things on the to-do list before the Democrats take control of Congress next month, one item seemed to have escaped the attention of Congressman Silvestro Reyes: read something about the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Offers Prisoner Exchange and Hope of Renewed Middle East Peace Talks
Olmert shifts ground on release of Palestinians - Gaza ceasefire maintained despite rockets being fire

European States Offer Middle East Peace Plan Without Uk
Spain, France and Italy go it alone with initiative Ceasefire and talks deal will be put to EU summit.

European Middle East Peace Plan Ignores Uk
· Spain, France and Italy go it alone with new initiative · Ceasefire and talks deal will be put to EU summit

Hanging Saddam Hussein: the Aurora for a New Middle East!
It is high time for America’s Democrats and Republicans to shape in detail a New Middle East. Without murderous tyrants names presidents! Hang Saddam, respecting both, the feeling of the majority of the Iraqis, and the verdict the Iraqi Court of Justice!

US Iraq policy: from mistake to disaster?
The US Iraq policy was not bad; if anything, it was badly conceived and lamentably implemented. Current discussions and rumours about a forthcoming partition of Iraq to Shia, Sunni and Kurds reveal that, misguided, the US Middle East policy has become a major threat to the US global interests.

Condi Rice Off to Middle East - With No New Ideas
Condoleezza Rice is portraying her Middle East tour this week as an opportunity to "rally moderate forces and moderate voices" following Israel's summer war on Lebanon and ahead of looming confrontation with Iran. By Simon Tisdall

Berlin Signals New Tack Over Middle East
Germany is breaking sharply with its own past by deploying a naval force to Lebanon, writes Ian Black.

America, the Middle East and the Colonial Heritage
If the US conceptualized a plausible end to the colonialism in Iraq, this would bring about a positive situation for both, the Iraqi people and the American administration. But this has to do with the refutation of the theoretical pillars of Historical Colonialism.

Defiant Bush Appeals to People of Middle East
· President speaks directly to 'marginalised' citizens · Iranian nuclear question dominates discussions

The Final Place of Refuge for Christians in the Middle East is Under Threat
As Iraq and Lebanon are torn apart by sectarian mayhem and war, only Syria's religious tolerance offers refugees shelter. By William Dalrymple

If Europe Doesn't Want Middle East War to Begin Again, It Has to Step Up
EU nations are confirming the US right's prejudices by failing to deliver on promises of troops to police Lebanon's ceasefire. By Jonathan Freedland

Sudan's Beja / Blemmyes, and their Right to Freedom and Statehood
Instead of hypocritically and shamefully showing a supposed peace in Lebanon, Colonial France and Britain should care to stop the Red Sea bloodshed, and support the historical people of Blemmyes / Beja in their national effort to get freedom and control over all the Red Sea coast of Sudan.

The Round Table: Fair Negotiations in the Middle East
If we refuse to negotiate in good faith with Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the insurgents and militias in Iraq, and the Ayatollahs in Iran, we will leave no options but continued and escalating violence.

Address to the United States: WW3?
Ayatollah threatens Defensive Jihad. Chapter 6 UN Resolution as a means to WWIII? Total Defensive War? May Time's Tumblers and Wrinkles Save Us.

Lebanon and the Middle East Timeline: July 2006
David Fickling retraces the day-by-day conflict back to July 12.

Blair: You've Misunderstood Me Over the Middle East
· PM to confront critics today at press conference · Dismay at approach spreading through party

The King of Fairyland Will Never Grasp the Realities of the Middle East
A US leader in his second term should have the power to rein in Israel. But George Bush is no ordinary president. By George Monbiot

Blair to Fly to Us for Middle East Talks
Tony Blair will fly to Washington tomorrow for talks with President Bush about the deteriorating situation in Israel and Lebanon and increasing sectarian violence in Iraq.

Blair Promises Middle East Peace Plan Within Days
Tony Blair said today he hoped a plan to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would be ready within the next few days.

EU to Downgrade Relations With Middle Eastern Partners
A series of North African and Middle Eastern countries are to have their relations with the EU downgraded as part of a root-and-branch reform of the union's links with neighbouring states.

Petrol Prices Soar As Middle East Tension Pushes Oil to Record
The prospect of petrol breaching £1 a litre loomed large last night after a day of heightened tension across the globe pushed the cost of crude oil to a new record level of more than $76 a barrel.

Kane Raises the Standard in the Middle East
Former Observer business editor Frank Kane is promising to bring 'western journalistic standards' to the Middle East when he launches the region's first daily English-language business paper. By Julia Day.

Middle East Relief Groups Join Red Cross
The Israeli and Palestinian humanitarian relief societies finally joined the international Red Cross and Red Crescent movements today, after a majority of delegates from close to 200 countries accepted a fiercely fought compromise.

Middle East 'suffers From Bad Press'
The image of the Middle East is suffering under a barrage of negative media coverage, according to research. By Julia Day.

Overthrow Erdogan and Let Real Turkey Rise in the East!
The inconsistencies of the bogus-mediatic Turkish prime minister have become a serious threat to Ankara's chances to join European Union, to stand by NATO interests in the Middle East, and to help the civilized world avert and eradicate the Islamic radicalism.

All at Sea in the Middle East's Perfect Storm
World Briefing: Sectarian revenge attacks and widening divisions in the wake of the Samarra mosque bombing have intensified fears of irreversible descent into all-out civil war in Iraq...By Simon Tisdall

A Vision for Najaf: Milton Keynes of the Middle East
· UK firm wins contract to redesign historic Iraqi city · Architects will not visit site due to security risk

The Middle East Reaction to the Danish Cartoon Row
Arab governments have joined the fray over the cartoon row for their own political reasons, writes Brian Whitaker.

US General Maps Out Strategic Refit for Iraq, Middle East and Asia
· Number of troops 'may be contributing to instability' · Public profile of ground forces to be lowered

Bush Sets Goal for Us of 75% Cut in Middle East Oil Imports
· Ethanol as substitute fuel to end gasoline 'addiction' · State of the union address warns against isolationism

INDIAN WARS IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM: From Wounded Knee to Palestine
The people of Palestine have spoken, just as the people of Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have spoken, and they have delivered a common message: A stern repudiation of occupation and American influence.

Hamas Shock Victory Poses New Middle East Challenge
Hamas won an unexpected but crushing victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections as results yesterday showed it had swept away Fatah's 40-year monopoly of power and presented a challenge to western policy toward "terrorist organisations".

UN Urges Bird Flu Vigilance in Middle East
A United Nations agency warned today that bird flu may already have spread to Turkey's neighbouring countries and urged improved poultry surveillance across the Middle East. Although the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) admitted it had no confirmation that the disease had spread...

A World Lit by Energy Warfare
What "Mission Accomplished" in reality achieved was an intractable quagmire of bloodletting and a nightmarish prospect of global conflict. And it may have started in Iraq.

Iran and Israel Will Be Kings of the Middle East Jungle
The US occupation of Iraq has turned its neighbour into a new regional power. But the contagion is likely to spread far wider.

International News Update - 12/28
More news on the Middle East - Christians are leaving Bethlehem - and why...

Muslim Group Backs Kember Plea
Hopes that the kidnapped peace activist Norman Kember might be spared were boosted yesterday by last-minute calls from across the Middle East for the hostages to be released before today's deadline.

Bush's Vision Fails to Win Over Middle East
Jack Straw put his finger on it. Speaking after a disputatious Middle East summit in Bahrain at the weekend, the foreign secretary said: "It would be a disaster if this region thought democracy was an American idea." Many in the region appear to think exactly that - and have ideas of their own.

First Bird Flu Cases Found in Middle East
Kuwait today identified two birds infected with bird flu, the first known cases of the virus in the Middle East, said senior officials.

Middle Eastern Civilizations' Expansion Brought Civilization To Europe
Due to Colonial times perceptions and historiography, today’s European academia, statesmen, legislators and journalists still view the world through obsolete viewpoints. Yet, it is essential to re-appraise European civilization’s dependence on Ancient Middle East civilizations, and to enumerate issues that must be taken into account before any European politician tries to say what is and what is not Europe.

The Carve-up of Iraq Will Spawn a Redivision of the Middle East
The adoption of a weak Iraqi federal constitution is likely to unleash an ethnic and sectarian crisis across the region.

Bush's Dream of Democratic Middle East May Rest on Engaging With Islamists
World Briefing: Ignoring setbacks in Iraq and Syria and the post-Gaza impasse, George Bush continues to claim success for his policy of spreading democracy in the Arab world.

Middle Eastern Peace and the Arameans of Aram-Naharaim Foundation
Fighting for the preservation of their Cultural and Political rights in many countries, and engaging themselves in a battle that could bring a Dead End to Islamic Extremism and Barbarism, the Arameans of Aram-Naharaim Foundation reiterate explicitly several 'forgotten truths'.

The Aramaeans' rise will transfigure the Middle Eastern Chessboard
Most people allover the world ignore the basic fact that is at the epicenter of most of the problems in the Middle East. The Arabic – speaking populations are not Arabs; they are Aramaeans.

Disoriented America loses control in the Middle East – Part III
In two earlier articles we came up with the enumeration of fundamental errors of the American Middle Eastern policy, starting with the American over-reliance on high tech, the erroneous and inaccurate perception of the enemies of the West, and the underestimation of the ultimate goals of the Islamic extremists. In the present article, we will continue, focusing on other errors and misconceptions.

Disoriented America loses control in the Middle East – Part II
Underestimating the goals of hypocritical diplomats and tyrants, who are the puppets of criminal and extremist sheikhs, venerated in the uneducated and uncultured 'Islamic' countries and unknown to the West, is a serious mistake. Underestimating the goals of 400 million fanatic have-nots is another even more serious mistake.

Disoriented America loses control in the Middle East – Part I
The fundamental mistakes of the American administration in Iraq and the Middle East risk to provoke global disasters. The present US administration must reconsider its sources, knowledge and perception of data.

Press Review: What They Said About Laura Bush in the Middle East
Laura Bush's five-day goodwill mission to the Middle East to promote women's rights has thus far met with protests, muted applause and fashion criticism.

Peace canal deal for thirsty Middle East
Ministers from Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority will today sign an agreement to pave the way for the construction of a canal that will link the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.

US Mass Media entrap the US into disastrous Middle Eastern policies
Refutation and criticism of a New York Times article that adopted French Colonial policies and tactics to falsify historical realities related to the Aramaeans, a historical people that consists in the backbone of the local populations in the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East. Traditional French practice in this regard was to diffuse a false national name ('Assyrians') to confuse the Aramaeans and to divert them from National Awakening.

The Color Of The Coral The Making Of The Red Sea
Like a bustling super highway, this Middle Eastern sea - road serves the worlds traffic today just as she did in the days of the Phoenicians...

Middle East Settlers Split on Plan to Quit Gaza
The first serious divisions among Jewish settlers over Ariel Sharon's plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip emerged yesterday as their leaders met the prime minister to discuss the terms for a mass relocation to within Israel's borders.

Bush Sees Lebanon Changes As Move to Free Middle East
President George Bush yesterday portrayed the anti-Syrian protests in Beirut as a decisive moment for the spread of freedom across the Middle East, and one in which the international community had high stakes.

Middle East New Inquiry Into Killing of Italian
The US command in Baghdad said last night it had asked Italian officials to join a new inquiry into the shooting incident in which an Italian intelligence officer was killed by American soldiers.

Bush Hails Anti-syria Demos As Key to 'free Middle East'
Bush hails Beirut anti-Syria demos as key to Middle East freedom.

Pressure for Democracy in the Middle East
Jonathan Freedland: We need to face up to the fact that the Iraq invasion has intensified pressure for democracy in the Middle East.

Blair Hails 'ripple of Change' in Middle East
Syria has one last chance, warns PM.

Middle East Truce Announced
Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed a truce to end more than four years of fighting, both sides confirmed today.

Rice Promises Action on Middle East Peace
The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, today vowed the US would be "very active" in the Middle East peace process as she made a joint appearance with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.

President Bush pledges to focus on Middle East
President reaffirms inaugural vows - but scepticism is widespread. President Bush yesterday reinforced the message of his inaugural address by saying that he believed the American people had given him a mandate to spread freedom around the world.

Blair Visit Secures London Talks on Middle East Peace
Tony Blair flew home from the Middle East last night confident that he had secured the twin objectives of his visit.

PM Off to Middle East for Palestine and Iraq Talks
Tony Blair will visit the Middle East this week to explore ways of dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the upsurge in violence in Iraq.

Blair Off to Middle East for Palestine and Iraq Talks
Tony Blair will visit the Middle East this week to explore ways of dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the upsurge in violence in Iraq.

Middle East Upheaval As Sharon Provokes Crisis
Jailed Palestinian reverses decision not to challenge for Arafat succession.

Doing Business in the Middle East
Etiquette and protocol guide for business personnel travelling to the Middle East/Gulf for business.

Optimism Unrestrained
Blair's faith that Bush will bring peace to the Middle East is either inspiringly positive or grossly naive.

Middle East Sees Benefits of Bush
There is surprising support for a second Bush term in Iran and the Arab world, writes Brian Whitaker.

It's About the Middle East, Stupid
Peter Preston: Neither Bush nor Kerry will stand up to Israel, so the terror will go on. They didn't mention Ken Bigley, of course. He - like his two American companions - was gone, dead, brutally murdered and therefore unavailable to participate in Mr Bush's long but resolute struggle or Mr Kerry's more hopeful tomorrow.

Beslan Militants 'called Middle East'
Two of the militants who took part in the Beslan school hostage siege phoned the Middle East during the drama, a senior source from the Russian security services has said. The official said two calls were made from Beslan in Arabic, and that "one call was to Saudi Arabia by one of the...

Middle East Two Israelis Die Tackling Bomber
Two Israeli policemen died preventing a female suicide bomber from entering a packed Jerusalem bus shelter yesterday, probably saving many other lives. The 19-year-old Palestinian woman detonated the bomb when the policeman demanded to search a bag the authorities say contained about 5kg...

Israel is Wild Card in Explosive Middle East Pack
When George Bush first identified the two Middle East members of his "axis of evil", Iran clearly ranked as a far more formidable adversary than Saddam Hussein's Iraq. But President Bush went after the easier target instead.

US Deal 'wrecks Middle East Peace'
The US was yesterday accused by Palestinian leaders of destroying hopes for peace in the Middle East by giving its covert support to Israel's expansion of controversial settlements in the West Bank. American officials are privately admitting they have abandoned their demands that Israel...

Sharon Tells Un He Wants a Middle East Free of Nuclear Arms
Israel and the UN's nuclear watchdog reached a public understanding yesterday with Ariel Sharon committing himself to the vision of a Middle East free of nuclear weapons. Mohammed ElBaradei, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief, described the development as a "glimmer of hope" for...

Bush Opens New Rift Over Middle East Plan
· Chirac derides push for democracy
· 3-point plan to reshape region

Middle Eastern Democracy
Washington's latest initiative has Arab leaders worried. Little noticed in the west as yet, the Bush administration's latest Middle East adventure has been making furious waves in the Arab world. Dubbed the Greater Middle East initiative, the plan aims to press democracy on one of the world's least democratic regions.

West Just Can't Leave Middle East
The dreams of al-Qaida and its allies are destructive - but doomed. Why are we in the Middle East? This is the real question that the Madrid bombs pose for Europe and the United States, and for the nations of that region themselves.

Middle East Conflict Hits The Hague
Court hears case against Israeli barrier.

David Hirst on the Middle East in 2003
2003 has been a crucial year for the Middle East, with war in Iraq and the continuing intifada in Israel. The Guardian's acclaimed commentator on the region, David Hirst, assesses what happened, what it means, and where it might lead next year.

Powell Steps Up Push for Middle East Peace
The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, today began talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, pledging to "blast through" the obstacles to peace. Mr Powell arrived in Jerusalem this morning for a meeting with the Israeli foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, ahead of talks with the prime...

Negotiations Fail to Broker Middle East Truce
Egyptian negotiators today appeared to have failed in their bid to convince Palestinian militia groups to end attacks on Israelis - as the US and the EU stepped up their efforts to reinvigorate the peace process. After two days of Egyptian-sponsored talks in Gaza aimed at establishing an...

There Will Be No Middle East Peace Without Hamas
Abu Mazen is never going to be able to deliver his people alone. The worsening violence in Israel and the occupied territories could be taken to mean that the scheme for a settlement between the two peoples launched so recently is already doomed.

'Total War' Engulfs Middle East As Road Map is Torn to Shreds
Israel declared total war on Hamas yesterday, with the Islamic resistance movement responding by ordering all its fighters to immediately mobilise and "blow up the Zionist entity". The threat of escalation in an already bloody week for Palestinians and Israelis alike came hours before the...

Day of Carnage Leaves Middle East in Chaos
Israel and Hamas count the dead.

Bush to Hold Middle East Summit
US to meet Israelis, Palestinians and Arabs in next step to peace after Sharon cabinet approves road map.

Hamas Rejects 'road Map' for Middle East Peace
The Islamist militant group Hamas today rejected a new US-backed "road map" for peace in the Middle East and vowed to continue its armed struggle against Israel. Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin said: "The road map aims to assure security for Israel at the expense of the security of our...

Middle East Leaders Await Peace 'road Map'
Palestinian and Israeli leaders are to receive the US-backed "road map" to peace today, just hours after a suicide bomber killed himself and three bystanders in Tel Aviv. The attack in Tel Aviv came as a United Nations envoy announced the delivery of the long-awaited road map, after the...

Middle East Gets Another View of Fall of Baghdad
TV reports focus on looting and civil disorder.

Bush Will Stand Firm on Middle East Road Map
George Bush will throw his full political weight behind the long-expected road map for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, according to sources close to Tony Blair. President Bush has already agreed to publish the road map when the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, and...

Rising Anger Grips the Middle East
Amid growing anger in the Arab world, anti-war protesters clashed with riot police in Cairo yesterday, hurling stones and metal barricades and shouting slogans against Arab leaders as well as the US. Egyptian police lashed out with batons and used water cannons in a futile effort to keep...

Western Deaths Spark Middle East Terror Alert
Saudis suggest link to al-Qaida after arms find.

Britons warned against Middle East travel
The Foreign Office has today posted a series of warnings on its website urging British nationals not to travel to the majority of the Middle East.

US Pledges Fresh Middle East Peace Push
President Bush last night promised a new US effort to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement after the fall of Saddam Hussein. He gave a "personal commitment" to implementing a "road map" to peace and he argued the fall of President Saddam's regime would provide an opportunity for...

The Economies of the Middle East
Yesterday, in the Islamic Financial Forum in Dubai, Brad Bourland, chief economist for the Saudi American Bank (SAMBA), breached the embarrassed silence that invariably enshrouds speakers in Middle Eastern get-togethers. He reminded the assembled that despite the decades-long fortuity of opulent oil revenues, the nations of the region - excluding Turkey and Israel - failed to reform their economies, let alone prosper.

Downing Street Aims to Revive Middle East Conference
Downing Street and the Foreign Office were yesterday working on a plan to salvage a conference planned for next week to discuss reforms in the Palestinian Authority. With British-Israeli relations at their lowest point for years, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, turned down a...

No 10 May Cancel Middle East Summit
Downing Street has conceded it may have to cancel its planned mini-summit on the Middle East after Israel banned Palestinian delegates from attending it, following dual suicide attacks in Tel Aviv last night. The meeting - to be held in London next week - was called by Tony Blair to move...

Everything's All Right in the Middle East
A mutual solution to the problem of being mortal.

US Puts Middle East Peace Plan on Hold
The Bush administration bestowed an election campaign gift on Ariel Sharon yesterday, by saying that it would shelve its plan for the Middle East until after Israel goes to the polls on January 28. The delay was greeted with dismay by the EU and Arab states which had hoped to persuade...

Blair Struggles to Salvage Plan for Middle East Talks
No 10's idea left Foreign Office holding the baby.

Bush marks out route to peace in Middle East
Israeli tanks fired on a Gaza refugee camp yesterday, killing seven Palestinians hours after the Israeli government welcomed details fleshing out President George Bush's "road map" to peace.

We Can Teach Bush What Not to Do in the Middle East
British mistakes 80 years ago should be a warning to the US today. The journey that Harriet Pringle, the heroine of Olivia Manning's Fortunes of War novels, makes in late 1942 from Alexandria to Damascus is a bumpy ride in an ammunition lorry through a region whose inhabitants are awaiting their fate - and the end of a conflict that it is becoming clear the allies will win - with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

Lukewarm Response to Straw's Tour to Shore Up Support in Middle East
Foreign secretary puts case on Iraq to key countries.

Bush Veto on Middle East Talks
Tony Blair's drive for Middle East peace talks has suffered an embarrassing setback at the hands of the US president, George Bush, only days after the prime minister flagged up his plan at the Labour party conference in Blackpool. Mr Blair is pushing for a resumption of...

Britain to Push for 'final' Middle East Talks This Year
Britain is to press for 'final status' negotiations on Israel and the Palestinian territories to be revived by the end of the year in an attempt to resolve the 54-year-old dispute, Tony Blair said yesterday.

Our Man's Lonely Search for a Middle East Ceasefire
Britain's main contribution to the Middle East peace process, an MI6 agent, Alastair Crooke, is engaged in behind-the-scenes discussions with Palestinian factions to secure a ceasefire.

Attack on Iraq would create chaos in Middle East, Egypt cautions US
An American attack on Iraq could plunge the Middle East into chaos, the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, warned yesterday, 24 hours after the US vice-president, Dick Cheney, issued a call for pre-emptive military action.

US Thinktanks Give Lessons in Foreign Policy
Brian Whitaker reports on the network of research institutes whose views and TV appearances are supplanting all other experts on Middle Eastern issues.

Middle East appeal for Essex course
Horse racing: The company behind the plans to build a new racecourse at Fairlop Waters have revealed that the course might yet be built in the Middle East.

Cash-for-reform Plan As Middle East Talks Resume
A new push for Middle East peace will take place in London tomorrow when the Quartet group meets to discuss pouring tens of millions of pounds into the beleaguered Palestinian authority.

Middle Eastern Gulf Separates Eu and Us
On either side of the Atlantic, fundamentally different attitudes towards the problems of Israel and Islamic unrest are hardening, writes Brian Whitaker.

Hugo Young: We've missed the point of Bush's Middle East policy
Obsessed with war on terrorism, the president is prepared to go it alone. It's usually a mistake to assume that a world leader is off his head. Even Boris Yeltsin, though drunk in charge of Russia, had a sense of strategy.

UK Rift With Bush Over Middle East
Britain, in a rare breach with Washington, aligned itself yesterday with the rest of Europe in expressing dismay over George Bush's Middle East peace plan. It is the first serious rift on foreign policy between Tony Blair and Mr Bush since the Palestinian uprising began 21 months ago...

US must set timetable for Middle East peace
George Bush needs to act decisively on Israel if he is to avoid dire political and economic consequences for his nation, writes Simon Tisdall

Powell Outlines Middle East Peace Plan
US secretary of state Colin Powell today began to sketch out Washington's plans for peace in the Middle East, telling a London-based Arabic newspaper that the process may begin with a transitional or temporary Palestinian state.

Bush to Set Out Middle East Policy Next Week
President Bush said yesterday that he would make a declaration on Middle East policy after a round of meetings in the next few days with the leaders of Egypt and Israel.

The Guardian Middle East Dialogue
Jonathan Freedland on his involvement in the Guardian Middle East Dialogue.

Secret Middle East Talks in Britain
Israelis and Palestinians have met in Britain to hold their highest-level talks since the failed Taba meetings of January 2001. Key figures in the Northern Ireland peace process were brought in for the first time to advise the belligerent parties. In three days of discussions, hosted by...

The Middle East: the Way Forward
In a Guardian debate, entitled Israel/Palestine: the way forward, two key mediators in the Middle East conflict today implored the international community to re-engage with the peace process and identified common ground which to build a new accord.

US Considers Middle East Peace Plan
The Bush administration is considering whether to draw up a broad framework and timetable for a comprehensive Middle East settlement which would lay the ground for a regional peace conference this summer, it emerged yesterday.

Colin Powell's Middle East Peace Mission
Colin Powell's mission to stop the fighting seems bound to fail.

Middle Eastern Conflict 'hits Streets of France'
Ros Taylor assesses the reaction in the media and from politicians to the current wave of anti-Semitism in France.

Michael White: Two minds on the Middle East
Despite the gung-ho headlines, an uneasy Blair is trying to moderate Bush's unilateralism.

Two Minds on the Middle East
Despite the gung-ho headlines, an uneasy Blair is trying to moderate Bush's unilateralism.

Middle East Violence Sends Us Stocks Lower
Wall Street woke up yesterday to the potential repercussions of escalating violence in the Middle East, with stock markets suffering a sharp sell-off as the price of crude oil shot higher. By early afternoon, the Dow Jones index was trading 135 points - or 1.3% - lower at 10,268, with the...

UN resolution on the Middle East
Following is the edited text of a resolution approved by the UN Security Council yesterday that calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Ramallah and other Palestinian cities. Resolution 1402, drafted by Norway, was adopted on a 14-0 vote.

Middle East envoy returns with eyes on broader picture
America's previous foray into Middle East peacemaking resulted in one of the bloodiest weeks of the Palestinian uprising, and the auguries for today's visit by Washington's envoy are even more dismal - 163 Palestinians and 59 Israelis killed in the last 13 days.

Middle East Killings Continue
Three Israelis were killed in a roadside bomb attack today, as Israeli tanks moved deeper into two West Bank towns and troops killed three Palestinian gunmen in intense street fighting. The three Israelis were killed when a bomb exploded near a tank escorting civilian vehicles along the...

Death Toll Soars in Middle East
At least 24 Palestinians, including a senior security commander, were killed today in the escalating violence in the Middle East. Israeli soldiers, aircraft and warships hit targets in the West Bank and Gaza strip. Infantrymen and tanks poured into Biblical Bethlehem, where at least five...

Syria Backs Saudi Middle East Plan
The Middle East peace proposal put forward by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah gained significant momentum yesterday when Syria gave its backing to the land-for-peace plan, according to the official Saudi press agency.

Bush Backs Saudi Middle East Plan
The diplomatic equivalent of a head of steam was building behind a Saudi initiative for the Middle East last night after President Bush lent the ideas his cautious support. The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, yesterday expressed readiness to meet Saudi officials to discuss the...

Support Grows for Middle East Peace Plan
Despite continuing violence, Israel and the Palestinians agreed to resume security talks today, as both sides voiced encouragement for a widely-supported Saudi peace initiative. Israeli and Palestinian security officials agreed to resume talks later today, said Mohammed Dahlan, a...

What the Middle East Papers Say
There are increasing calls in Israel for a new approach to the peace process to replace the stubborn aggression of Ariel Sharon, as reflected in the local press.

Tenet Set to Return to Middle East
George Tenet, the CIA chief, will return to the Middle East early next week to try to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, a senior Palestinian official said today. If correct, Mr Tenet's arrival will signal a resumption of US attempts to mediate a truce following its...

Violence escalates in Middle East
The Middle East's deadly spiral of violence swept on yesterday as each side claimed revenge for attacks by the other and vowed more reprisals. Israel warned of a response "that will eliminate this ongoing threat" after a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a bus queue in central Jerusalem,...

The Middle East must top the agenda after Kandahar
The contrast between the American bombs that are falling around Kandahar and the Israeli missiles which have battered Gaza is a sharp one. In the first case, the use of force is hastening the end of the war in Afghanistan and, as a provisional government emerges, also helping toward a political...